Where does “workman” come from?

Workman derives from Middle English werkman, from Old English weorcmann, a compound of Old English werc (work) and mann (man), ultimately from Proto-Germanic mann- and Proto-Indo-European men-.

workman (English): A man who labours for wages; An artisan or...

Definitions

  1. A man who labours for wages; An artisan or...

Ancestry of “workman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwerkman
2Old Englishweorcmannworkman, labourer
3Old Englishweorcwork, in various senses, including
4Proto-West Germanicwerkwork
5Proto-Germanicwerkąwork
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwérǵomwork
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make

Words derived from “workman

Every word from Proto-Indo-European werǵ-